How much does it cost to live in Switzerland? Our real July 2026 budget

How much does it cost to live in Switzerland? This is one of the questions I am asked most often by people considering moving here. In June, I shared our first real household budget and promised to return with updated figures. Here is our summary for July.

We are a family of four, two adults and two children, living in the canton of Vaud. We also have a dog. For now, only one of the adults is working.

The figures shown are rounded. The aim is not to present perfect accounts, but to give a realistic picture of where our money went during the month.

The financial period analysed ran from 26 June to 23 July 2026.

This month, we received around 7 400 CHF. Almost all of it came from salary, close to 7 300 CHF net, plus a small health insurance reimbursement.

In total, our living expenses came to around 6 700 CHF. In addition, we managed to save and invest around 700 CHF, giving us a savings rate of close to 10%.

Approximate income breakdown

This was the approximate breakdown of our income:

Rent: ~2 300 CHF — 31%

Holiday in the south of France: ~1 400 CHF — 19%

Insurance: ~1 200 CHF — 16%

Groceries: ~600 CHF — 8%

Shopping / home / electronics: ~300 CHF — 4%

Fuel: ~300 CHF — 4%

Restaurants / cafés: ~200 CHF — 3%

Other small expenses: ~400 CHF — 5%

Savings and investments: ~700 CHF — 10%

Where the money went

Rent remains our largest monthly expense, at close to 2 300 CHF. In our area of the canton of Vaud, this is within the expected range for a 3.5-room apartment, but it is still our biggest bill.

The main difference this month was our holiday in the south of France. We spent around 1 400 CHF on meals out, accommodation in other cities to make the journey more relaxed, and other travel-related costs. It was a one-off expense, but it shows how much a week away can change a family's budget.

Insurance was also a significant expense, at around 1 200 CHF. This includes the family's health insurance as well as other policies, such as the quarterly car insurance payment and personal liability insurance.

Our grocery spending came to close to 600 CHF, lower than the previous month. The explanation is simple: we were away for a week, so we bought fewer groceries for home.

Fuel came to close to 300 CHF, higher than usual, mainly because of the trip to the south of France.

Monthly summary

This is how the month ended:

Income: ~7 400 CHF

Spent: ~6 700 CHF

Saved/invested: ~700 CHF

Savings rate: ~10%

Compared with June, our income was slightly lower because a larger tax refund came in that month. Even so, we managed to keep our savings close to 10%, despite the holiday.

This is just our personal situation. Every family has its own circumstances, but I hope these figures help anyone trying to understand how much it costs to live in Switzerland with children.